Early autumn-- Lights of houses are on Even in a young evening. Tr. Shoji Kumano

The start of autumn! Evening is at the point where other's lights are seen.

All the more expensive hard cover anthologies of the famous haiku writers will include prose versions of the haiku that include everything that the haiku hints at. Kumano's translation is a rendering of the prose piece accompanying this haiku in the Buson anthology I have. I think that writing everything in just kills the poetry in the original. By making the evening the subject, Buson is able to give us a scene that accurately depicts the falling darkness through time so we can stand and watch the house lights in the houses he looks down upon come on. It catches the mood of the time of year when evening falls earlier and earlier. Tr. and comment : James Karkoski - facebook

Lights of houses on even in a young evening— early autumn's start Tr. Bill Dennis - facebook

Winter comes And with it the weather Outside of the capital. Tr. Thomas McAuley

初冬や訪はんと思ふ人来ます hatsufuyu ya towan to omou hito kimasu

The first of winter-- One I've wanted to visit Called on me. Tr. Nelson and Saito

Early winter-- I thought I was going visiting but the person has come here. Tr. Sawa and Shiffert

Winter has begun! The one I was hoping of visiting does come.

When winter comes people tend to hunker down and stay at home, which can lead into a desire for the company of others. Buson hasn't been able to rouse himself to go visit a person that he wants to see, but now that person has come to visit him. With an interesting twist, Buson has turned the negative connotations that usually follow the coming of the winter into a positive emotion. Tr. and comment : James Karkoski - facebook

The first ice-- What was spilled Between the stones? Tr. Nelson and Saito

The first skim of ice, there's something that's been spilled on the shrine's slab walkways.

'Ishi no ma' are the slabs of stones that are laid in as a walkway in the open air courtyard that connects the main hall and the worship hall on the grounds of a large shrine. The courtyard has been iced over, but something has been spread on the smooth walkway slabs to turn the ice on it into slush so people will be able to come and go on it. By wondering about why the walkway is slush, Buson is able to draw a contrast between it and the rest of the courtyard that is still skimmed by a smooth pristine layer of ice. Tr. Jim Wilson, comment James Karkoski - facebook

The year's first frost-- On the kudzu leaves Flipped over by the wind before. Tr. Nelson and Saito

First frost of the year! On the kudzu leaves that are blown upside over.

The broad kudzu leaves attached to the vine are easily blown around by the wind and Japanese poets have been writing about them for centuries. Bashō wrote a haiku about noticing the frost on the front of the leaves and Buson is noticing it on the leaves that have been turned upside by the wind. Another example of the different positional kind of perception that Buson was able to look at the world with. Tr. and comment James Karkoski - facebook

The year's first frost-- An ailing crane In the distance seen. Tr. Nelson and Saito

winter's first frost-- visible in the distance an ailing crane Tr. Ueda

the first frost; seeing a suffering crane in the distance Tr. Michael Haldane

The first frost has fallen! Worn suffering cranes will be seen from afar.

Cranes are migratory birds that come into Japan from Korea and China at the start of winter. The first frost means the coming of winter, and Buson expects that the weary cranes ending their migration won't be far behind. The Japanese often just use the dictionary form of verbs as the future tense and I think it is clear that Buson is indicating a future action here. It could also be argued here that he might be talking about a habitual action, and so the present tense 'are seen' can be read too. But I think the probability of the cranes always showing up on the first day of frost is an improbable argument. Tr. and comment : James Karkoski - facebook

By the first full tide Pursued Upstream swim the fries. Tr. Nelson and Saito

By the high tide swept away so they swim upstream, the tiny fish! Tr. Sawa and Shiffert

Being pursued by a strong autumn moon tide.... the small fish climb upstream!

Pressed by the strong autumn moon tide to rise up; the small fish of the sea!

Hatsushio is the tide that is caused by the full moon that occurs on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. By the solar calendar it now occurs in September. Since the moon affects the tides, this very bright moon is considered to cause the strongest tides of the year. In Japanese, the verb is always at the end of the phrase, and since they also place them together to make compiled verbs, and place them as modifiers in front of nouns, the three verbs Buson stacked together in this haiku make it able to have a double reading. In the first version, the strong tide that the 15th night moon makes has moved up so far up river that it is forcing the small fish there to flee from it. The second reading implies that the fish are in the ocean and the tide is making them rise up with it. I prefer the first reading, my in-laws house is on a quite a distance up a small stream that runs into the sea, so I've experienced how much, and how far, the coming of the tides can affect fresh water levels and water quality. Tr. and comment : James Karkoski - facebook

Autumnal sadness Just about to forget as I was-- The first winter shower. Tr. Nelson and Saito

Just when I'd thought I had forgotten autumn's pathos; the first rain of winter.

The haiku is pretty explicit and needs no explanation. It catches the state of mind that happens when the soft thin beginning rains of winter start to wet the brown and desolate landscape that the end of autumn brings. Buson used 19 morae to express sentiment. Tr. James Karkoski - facebook

A bagworm-- Complacent and proud The first shower in winters. Tr. Nelson and Saito

Straw raincoat bugs without any hesitation, the first rain of winter.

The straw raincoat bugs have done well for themselves: the first rain of winter.

Bagworms in Japanese are called 'minomushi' (literally straw raincoat bugs) because they will often camouflage themselves with twigs and leaves that make them look similar to the old style made from straw 'mino' raincoats that were in use before the modernization of Japan. They are a fall 'kigo' because the males in autumn will seek out the females who never leave their protective 'bags' (or coats) to mate. The female dies and the eggs ride out the winter until hatching in the spring. The phrase 'etari kashikoshi' (literally 'having obtained wisely') is translated in Japanese to English dictionaries as 'readily, very eagerly, without a moment's hesitation,' but in Japanese dictionaries it is explained as 'when things go the way you thought and and proceed well to satisfaction.' I like the first version better because I think it brings out the connection between the seeking of the female and the winter rain with a bit more humor. (I have added a syllable in the 2nd line of the first translation, 'a' instead of 'any' just doesn't sound right to me) Tr. James Karkoski - facebook

A warbler Missing its footing on a twig-- Its first song in spring. Tr. Nelson and Saito

A bush warbler loses its footing on a branch: its first sound I hear!!

I live at the foot of a mountain so I often hear the bush warblers when they are around in spring. As the video link below shows, their warbling does have a slippery slope quality to it, which Buson humorously relates to loosing balance while singing. The verb here can also be read as indicating the future, but in this case I don't think it does. - reference :youtu.be/FhXfQrKvokU - Tr. James Karkoski - facebook

The warbler's inexperienced simplicity is better year's first song Tr. Crowley

The warbler's rough inattentiveness has increased: the first songs it sings!

The young warblers initially have trouble making the sounds that has made them the favorite songbirds in Japan. The pitch of the fledglings can be quite wild until they hear enough of the smoother older birds who they start copying. In Buson's day, the practice of keeping caged warblers in the house was popular and it is most likely that he is writing about a young warbler that he is keeping as a pet. Perhaps, the lack of being around other birds is what is keeping this one from singing sweetly? Having had the experience of hearing a caged warbler sing, I can attest to how much of a force of sound they can generate in an enclosed space. A young one who is in the stage of practicing must be quite jarring indeed! Tr. James Karkoski - facebook

- quote
a general of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura period. "It is evident that Yoshitsune had a genius for offensive warfare...and although Yoshitsune had no knowledge of naval warfare he had the advantage of an acute strategic insight and a quick eye for tactical chances.
..... He was put under the care of Kurama Temple (鞍馬寺), nestled in the Hiei Mountains near the capital of Kyoto,
..... The fight between Ushiwakamaru and the bandit chief 熊坂長範 Kumasaka Chohan in 1174. Yoshitsune was only 15 when he defeated the notorious bandit leader.
..... In 1180, Yoshitsune heard that Yoritomo, now head of the Minamoto clan, had raised an army at the request of Prince Mochihito to fight against the Taira clan (also known as the Heike) which had usurped the power of the emperor. Yoshitsune shortly thereafter joined Yoritomo, along with Minamoto no Noriyori, all brothers who had never before met, in the last of three conflicts between the rival Minamoto and Taira samurai clans, known as the Genpei War.
Yoshitsune defeated and killed his rival cousin Minamoto no Yoshinaka at the Battle of Awazu in Ōmi Province in March 1184 and then defeated the Taira at the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani in present-day Kobe. In 1185, Yoshitsune defeated the Taira again at the Battle of Yashima in Shikoku and destroyed them at the Battle of Dan-no-ura in present-day Yamaguchi Prefecture.
Yoshitsune was subsequently named Governor of Iyo.

. Ushiwaka mochi 牛若餅 Ushiwaka rice cakes
Named after Minamoto no Yoshitsune in his boyhood (Ushiwaka, the one as strong as a bull), when he was trained at the Kurama Mountain Temple by the Forest Goblins (tengu).

kataha no ashi 片葉の葦 one-sided reed
In 福島県 Fukushima, 鹿島町 Kashima, in the hamlet 栃窪 Tochikubo there lived a farmer named 久七 Kyushichi who had many fine horses. His most vital and strong one was 太夫黒 Tayu-guro. It often roamed the mountain of 立石山 Tateishiyama and came to the pond Mano no Ike 真野の池 to feed on the reeds.
Often it did not come home for the night. It even had a web for swimming like a duck at his legs (mizukaki 水掻き).
The horse grew up to a superb animal and Kushichi presented it to the Lord, 藤原秀衡 Fujiwara no Hidehira. Hidehira gave it to Yoshitsune when the young man left for the war.
Since Tayu-guro used to eat only the leaves of one side of the reeds, they were soon called "one-sided reeds".

Yoshitsune Climbing Up the Rough Part of Hiyodori Pass
Yoshitsune's daring descent from Hiyodori Pass in his surprise attack against the Heike.
..... fierce fighting starts at Ikuta-no-mori and Ichi-no-tani, but neither side is able to gain a decisive advantage. Yoshitsune’s cavalry descends a steep slope at Hiyodori Pass decisively attacking the Taira from the rear.
The Taira panic and flee to the boats..... - reference -

There is another legend about the end of Taiyu-Guro from Kagawa, 志度町 Shido town.
When lord 佐藤継信 Sato Tsugunobu (1150 - 1185), one of the 義経四天王 four brave retainers of Yoshitsune, gave his life to save his Master, Yoshitsune came to his grave to mourn for him. He asked 覚阿上人 Saint Kakua from the temple Shido-dera to perform the rites for Ysugunobu. To show his gratitude, he also gave Kakua his beloved horse, which was a gift to Yoshitsune from the Emperor. The priest Kakua 覚阿上人 cared for the horse at the temple 志度寺 Shidodera, but after the events at Hiyodori Pass, it was given to 極楽寺 at nearby 鴨部馬次 Kabe, Umatsugi.
The horse lived there for a while and then suddenly and then run away one day.
The priest was in great worry about loosing this famous imperial horse and all villagers began to search for it. Finally they found it dead in front of the grave of Tsugunobu
So the priests held another great ritual for the horse and built a grave mound for Yoshitsune's Taiyu-guro, very close to 牟礼の王墓 Mure no Ohaka, the grave mound of the son of 景行天皇 Emperor Keiko Tenno, the Lord of Sanuki no Kuni, 神櫛王 Kangushi.Kangushi no Ohaka 神櫛(かんぐし)王墓 Grave of King Kangushi

Satō Tsugunobu
Japanese warrior and the brother of Satō Tadanobu.
Tsugunobu died in the Battle of Yashima, while protecting Minamoto Yoshitsune from an arrow shot of Taira no Noritsune by riding between Yoshitsune and Noritsune. Tsugunobu was buried in Mure, Kagawa by Taira no Noritsune himself.
Tsugunobu and his brother Tadanobu "were 'given' to Yoshitsune by Fujiwara no Hidehira when Yoshitsune left Oshu to join Yoritomo.
Tsugunobu is mentioned in Hagakure in the passage about martial valor. - source : wikipedia -

Now Ippon-Datara is a Yokai monster.
Ippon-Datara is a Persona of the Hermit arcana. It specializes in Darkness element attacks.

- quote -
According to some stories, an Ippon Datara is a very skillful blacksmith, giving them two possible origins:
-- Ghost of a blacksmith banished from his village (losing an eye or a limb wasn't uncommon hazard).
-- Manifestation of Ameno-me-Hitotsu, kami of the forge, metalcraft, and blacksmithing.
User with this ability either is or can transform into a Ippon Datara, one-legged mountain spirit with appearance of either human-like or a huge pillar. Regardless they have a single eye on like a Cyclops, a massive body and only one leg. Normally they don't show themselves to humans and let only their presence be felt, but at certain times they may become aggressive. - source : powerlisting.wikia.com -

akuryyoo 悪霊 evil spirit
Yoshitsune camped at the pondside 義経淵 Yoshitsunefuchi in the open and was ?killed by the enemy. To our day this place is haunted by evil spirits.
On the rock there are the remains where Yoshitsune slept and where his horse slept.
義経淵は、義経がここで野宿して敵に殺された.

sakura no tsue 桜の杖 walking stick from cherry wood
In the 10th month of the year 1180 the local regent 信夫庄司 Shinobu Shoji Satō 佐藤元治 Sato Motoharu had his two children,
嗣信 Tsugunobu and 忠信 Tadanobu become retainers of Yoshitsune.
As a proof of their loyalty he planted a stick of cherry wood in the ground and spoke:"If my two sons will be loyal to Yoshitsune, this stick will grow into a tree.
Otherwise this stick will wither away!"
「わが子が君に忠であれば生きよ、さもなくば枯れよ」
The stick grew into a beautiful cherry tree and was called 庄司戻し桜 Shoji modoshi sakura.

Tsugunobu (1158 – 1185) was killed at Yashima, in Kagawa prefecture, protecting Yoshitsune from an arrow by the enemy Taira no Noritsune.
Tadanobu (1153 - 1186) was killed in Kyoto. Both were killed in defense of Yoshitsune.

"Crossing the ferry of Moon Halo, I came to the post town of Rapid's Head.
The ruined house of the brave warrior Sato was about a mile and a half from this post town towards the foot of the mountains on the left. I pushed my way towards the village of Iizuka, and found a hill called Maruyama in the open field of Sabano. This was the site of the warrior's house. I could not refrain from weeping, when I saw the remains of the front gate at the foot of the hill. There was a lonely temple in the vicinity, and tombs of the Sato family were still standing in the graveyard. I wept bitterly in front of the tombstones of the two young wives, remembering how they had dressed up their frail bodies in armor after the death of their husbands. In fact I felt as if I were in the presence of the Weeping Tombstone of China.
I went into the temple to have a drink of tea. Among the treasures of the temple were the sword of Yoshitsune and
the satchel which his faithful retainer, Benkei, had carried on his back."

Tengu 天狗 - 兵法場
Ushiwakamaru studied sword fighting with the Tengu. The place were they practised is called 兵法場.
heihoo 兵法 Heiho, military principles and additionaly swordsmanship and Tengu magic.
If people pick up a stone from this area, whey will always win in a fight.

..............................................................................................................................................
Miyagi, Sendai - - some legends are also told in Iwate.

His real name was 大橋英次 Ohashi Hideji (Eiji)
Born in Shiga. Whith 22 years he met Takahama Kyoshi and became his lifelong disciple.
Member of ホトトギス Hototogisu and 山茶花 Sazanka.
Editor of the Haiku Magazine 雨月.

His son is 大橋晄 Ohashi Akira
His daughter is the poet 大橋敦子 Ohashi Atsuko, born 大正13年4月18日.

Born in Fukuoka. Married and had two boys and 3 girls. While bringing up the kids she wrote haiku. Her teachers were 吉岡禅寺洞 Yoshioka Zenjido and 高浜虚子 Takahama Kyoshi.
She became a member of ホトトギス Hototogisu in 1928.

Far Beyond the Field: Haiku by Japanese Women
edited by Makoto Ueda
Takeshita Shizunojo was one of the few women haiku poets to appear in the early years of modern Japan. Wives, at that time, were responsible for nearly all domestic matters. With a husband and five children, home life was extremely busy and oppressive for her.", . . . . .

Japanese Women Poets: An Anthology: An Anthology
Hiroaki Sato
..... on the spring lawn Takeshita Shizunojo (1887–1951) A member of Hototogisu, Takeshita Shizunojo formed the Students Haiku Association while

4 Jan 2016

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sange 散華 "scattering blossoms"

CLICK for more photos !

- quote
As part of the Buddhist training many ceremonies are carried out. One of these involves the spreading petals in order to bless the deceased spirits. This is called 'SANGE'. Originally fresh lotus flowers and petals were used, but now they have been replaced by coloured paper in the lotus petal shape.

At the ceremony, thousands of paper petals are scattered from the roof of the Main Hall. These multicoloured paper petals dancing down from the blue sky creates a fantastical atmosphere. In some temples, well known artists are commissioned to create pictures for these petals, which are then made into woodblock prints and sold as commemorative souveniers. Many people keep them as a small collection art.- source : sangemuseum.jp

- quote - Funabashi city is located in northwestern Chiba Prefecture and makes up one part of the Shimōsa Plateau. Funabashi is crossed by the Tone River, and the small Ebi River is located entirely within city limits. Funabashi formerly had wide, shallow beaches, but much of the coast has been industrialized and transformed by reclaimed land.

The name "Funabashi" is mentioned in the Kamakura period chronicle Azuma Kagami. However, the name itself is even more ancient, dating from before the Nara period and the Yamatotakeru mythology. Archaeologists have found stone tools from the Japanese Paleolithic period and shell middens from the Jomon period in the area, indicating continuous inhabitation for thousands of years. A number of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in the area claim to have been founded in the Nara period or Heian period. During the Muromachi periods, the area was controlled by the Chiba clan. During the Sengoku period, the Chiba clan fought the Satomi clan to the south, and the Late Hojo clan to the west. After the defeat of the Chiba clan, the area came within the control of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Under the Tokugawa shogunate, the area prospered as a post town on the river crossing of the Tone River, and was largely retained as tenryo 天領 under the direct control of the Shogunate and administered through a number of hatamoto. The area was also a favored hunting grounds for the Shogun. During the Boshin War of the Meiji Restoration, Funabashi was the location of a minor skirmish between Tokugawa loyalists under Enomoto Takeaki and the pro-Imperial forces of Okayama Domain and Satsuma Domain, during which most of the town burned down.

After the abolition of the han system, the area eventually became part of Chiba Prefecture. Funabashi Town was one of several towns and villages created on April 1, 1889 under Inba District. The area developed rapidly due to its proximity to Tokyo and the presence of numerous military facilities in the area. On April 1, 1937, Funabashi was elevated to city status through merger with neighboring Katsushika Town and Yasakae, Hoden and Tsukada Villages. The new city was host to numerous military installations in World War II, and was bombed in the air raids on Japan in 1945.

The city developed rapidly in the postwar period, with the development of industries, public housing developments and port facilities. With the annexation of neighboring Ninomiya Town in 1953, the population exceeded 100,000. The population exceeded 300,000 in 1969 and 500,000 in 1982. Funabashi was designated a core city on April 1, 2005 with increased local autonomy from the central government. The population exceeded 600,000 in 2006.- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

- quoteThe Gyotoku Salt Fields 行徳塩田 Gyotoku enden
... Gyotoku, a settlement on the shore of Edo bay about 15 kilometers east of the city. To get there, we have to take a boat ride through the canals of Edo. As I have mentioned in the past, rivers and canals criss-cross most of downtown Edo, and one of the fastest ways to get from place to place is by boat. There are many piers and boat landings in the downtown part of the city, but today we are going to a pier that is used only by a special ferry boat operated by the city officials -- the water taxi to Gyotoku. Gyotoku is a very important site in this region, since it is the home of the Gyotoku salt works.

Gyotoku kashi (Gyotoku wharf), located in the Nihonbashi district, is the starting point for a busy water taxi service . There are always boats preparing to land or depart, since there is a steady stream of townspeople travelling to and from the working-class suburbs east of the Sumida River. The wharf is named Gyotoku kashi after the town of Gyotoku, which is the last stop on the route. The watashi-bune (ferry-boats) follow one of several regular routes through the canals of Edo, but Gyotoku -- at the eastern end of Edo Bay -- is the final destination for all of them.

When Edo was first built, the flat marshy land on the east bank of the Sumida River was almost uninhabited. This low-lying land to the east of Edo was a marshy delta, formed by several large rivers that empty into Edo Bay. Even the isolated areas of solid ground in this area flooded easily during heavy rains, and there were few reliable sources of fresh water along the shore of the bay -- only when you went up-river beyond the high tide line could you get fresh water from the rivers. The marshes were a barrier that blocked traffic east from Edo. To get to the rich rice lands of Shimosa province you had to make a long detour to the north, along the Chiba Kaido, or else travel across Edo Bay by boat, rounding the marshes to the south and then swinging north again, up the coast to the towns of Gyotoku and Funabashi, which serve as the gateway to Shimosa province.

When Tokugawa Ieyasu first arrived in Edo, one of his first priorities was to find a way to build transportation links across the marshes east of the Sumida River. To secure the necessary food and goods needed for the city of Edo to grow, it was essential to transport the rich harvest of rice and vegetables from the provinces to the North and east of Edo to markets in the downtown area. The city also needed salt from Gyotoku, which is the only town in the area suited for salt production. Therefore, in around 1602 Ieyasu ordered his men to begin building canals through the marshlands to connect all of the major river systems in the eastern Kanto region. The network of canals and rivers now extends across a wide area to the north and east of Edo

One main canal, known as the Onagigawa (Onagi river), runs due east from the Sumida River near Nihonbashi to Gyotoku. This was one of the first canals to be built, though today, many other channels have been built, and the marshlands are crisscrossed by a checkerboard of canals. Once the canals were completed, transportation through the area became even smoother than travel by land. More and more people moved into the area as fresh water was made available, and today the area is a bustling neighborhood of blue-collar homes and small businesses.

When the boat is full of passengers, the captain uses his long bamboo pole to push off from shore. The watashi-bune are generally driven by two boat pilots using long poles of bamboo. There is also a broad rudder on the stern of the boat, which can be used to propel the craft in places where the water is too deep for the poles to reach bottom.

The boat travels down the canal from Nihonbashi to the Sumida River. When we reach the river the pilots slow down as they try to maneuver their way through the crowd of boat traffic. The Sumida river is Edo's main thoroughfare, carrying even more traffic than the Tokaido or any of the other main roads. The city is quite crowded and many of the streets are narrow, so it is hard to transport goods through the streets. Horse carts would be a nuisance to pedestrians, so they are hardly ever used in the downtown area. Instead, all goods are carried by boat to the nearest wharf, and then transported to their destination on the backs of nimpu (porters). The Sumida river is always thronged with boat traffic, and it is amazing to watch the boat pilots skillfully guiding their craft in and out of traffic. It seems amazing that there are so few collisions.

The boat sails past the huge, arching span of Eitaibashi (Eitai Bridge). This towering bridge links the port districts of Nihonbashi, Minato and Tsukiji with the blue-collar neighborhood of Fukagawa. It is supported by several dozen huge columns, each carved from the trunk of a single huge hinoki (cypress) tree. The wood is highly resistant to water and rot, and it may last for as much as a hundred years before the bridge needs to be repaired. On the opposite shore of the Sumida river, just a short distance upriver from the bridge, is a broad waterway branching off from the main river channel. This is the Onagigawa (Onagi River 小名木川).

The Onagigawa runs due east from the Sumida River, near Nihonbashi, to the Ara River, just a short distance from Gyotoku. The shoguns built this canal shortly after they moved to Edo, in order to provide quick and easy transportation between Edo and the rich provinces to the east. In addition to the constant stream of ferry boats, there are also many takase-bune (large cargo boats), which use the canal to carry loads of rice, vegetables and other agricultural products from the rich farms in Shimosa, Kazusa and Kotsuke Provinces.

The Onagigawa cuts a wide path through the marshy lowlands to the east of Edo. There are many explanations for how the canal got its name. The characters O - NA - GI ("small", "name", "tree") do not make much sense unless they were a person's name -- perhaps this was the name of the person who oversaw construction of the canal. Another likely explanation is that the name was originally Unagi-gawa (eel river). The river is, in fact, filled with eels, and many unagi fishermen can be seen along the river, fishing for these delicacies. Perhaps the pronunciation changed over time, and people forgot the original source of the name.

As our boat glides down this busy waterway, it passes through a series of small farming villages separated by occasional broad stretches of reeds and marshes. Before Edo was settled, this area of rivers and marshes was virtually uninhabited, but now it has become a thriving center of vegetable farming. Because of the rich soil, and the strong demand for vegetables from city dwellers, farmers in the towns along the Onagigawa have become quite prosperous. In fact, many varieties of vegetables take their names from farming communities in this area, such as Sunamura melons and Kasai leeks.

However, as your boat moves further and further east, the small farming villages become fewer and more widely scattered, and the swamps and marshes broader and more filled with wildlife. The broad East-West canal continues onward through the marshes. Though there are few signs of habitation along the banks of the canal, boat traffic remains heavy. Your own boat continues to glide along the flat surface of the canal. The sun is rising higher into the sky, and the two boat pilots are sweating heavily as they propel the craft with their long poles. They seem to be poling more energetically now, since you have almost reached your destination.

At last, the sparkling waters of Edo Bay come into view, and you can see the small but busy village of Gyotoku strung out along the shoreline. Clouds of steam rise from the low buildings along the canal, and on the flat land beside the bay, the sun sparkles off the salt fields, where salt is being produced for sale in Edo. Salt is a very important commercial commodity in most countries, and in Edo, the situation is no different. Salt is very important in the daily live of Edo's citizens for many reasons.

Salt is an important part of the diet. Japanese food tends to be rather plain, especially the staple meals of the lower classes, which consist mainly of rice and perhaps a small amount of fish or vegetables. To spice up their diet, the people are very fond of shoyu (soy sauce) and miso. Both of these are made mostly from soybeans and salt. Salt is also needed to preserve fish. Naturally, most people in Edo prefer their fish to be as fresh as possible. However, many of the fishing villages that supply Edo with food may take several days or even weeks to ship their produce to the markets in the city. If the fish is not sold right away, it has to be preserved in salt or else it will get rotten. A very large amount of salt is used to preserve fish -- many times more than the amount needed just for a healthy diet. For this reason, many fishing villages produce salt locally, at least on a small scale

In addition, people in Japan use salt in many rituals, as a symbol of purification. Priests throw salt on new building sites to purify them, and throw salt on the temple grounds for the same reason. When a person dies, the relatives throw salt outside the door of the house to keep evil spirits away. Merchants often put little piles of salt just outside their door to keep away bad luck. This is especially common at the beginning of the New Year. Finally, sumo wrestlers throw salt into the ring before they start wrestling, in order to purify the ring for the start of the match.

The demand for salt is so great that the price is quite high in Edo. Merchants ship large loads of salt all the way from Western Japan. The best places to make salt are places with a long, flat beach that is fairly hard-packed, and which gets fairly large changes in the water level from high tide to low tide. There are many places like this along the Seto Inland Sea, in Western Japan, and these are the main centers of salt production. In the Edo area, though, Gyotoku is about the only good location in the area which has a beach that is wide enough and sandy enough to be suitable for producing salt.

We have arrived at low tide and the sun is quite hot. This is a good time to see the salt workers in action, since it is an ideal time for drying the salt. People are busily walking to-and-fro, carrying buckets on poles on their shoulders. There is a steady and constant traffic of people from the edge of the sea to the flat, hard-packed square fields that are laid out in a checkerboard across the wide, flat beach.

The salt workers fill their buckets with sea water from a small channel that has been dug to bring the water a little ways up the beach, even at low tide. They then carry the buckets to the drying fields, where they pour the water into the field until a shallow layer covers the flat ground. The sea water is left to evaporate, and when all the water is gone, it leaves a crust salt. The workers will continue to add water a bit at a time and let it evaporate, continuing the process for as long as a week.

After a few days of adding water again and again, then waiting for it to evaporate, there will be a thick crust of salt coating the field. This salt crust can then be raked up into piles and collected. the piles of salt are then stored in little storehouses until other workers can come by to collect it. The dried salt is then carried to the boiling houses further up the beach.

A cluster of boiling houses is located not far from the salt fields; this is where the salt is processed and purified. Workers carry bundles of raw salt into the buildings, where it is carefully wrapped in very finely-woven silk cloth and then placed in a tub of water. The salt dissolves in the water, but the sand, dirt and grit that was mixed with the salt remains trapped inside the cloth. Finally, the supersaturated salt water is poured into huge boiling vats. Fires built underneath the vats boil off all the water, and when the water is all gone, the salt that is left in the bottom of the vats is clean and pure enough to eat. - source : Edomatsu